Calculate CPM, total cost, and impressions for advertising campaigns with budget optimization and channel comparison.
CPM states advertising cost for every 1,000 impressions. Enter any two values among CPM, total campaign cost, and impressions, and the calculator solves for the third by rearranging the same rate relationship. It also helps normalize channel proposals and estimate delivery from a fixed budget. The common misreading is treating impressions as clicks or individual people. An impression is an ad delivery, so repeated deliveries to one person can each contribute to the count.
A concrete input and expected output from the current implementation.
Input
Total cost: $250 Impressions: 100,000
Expected output
CPM: $2.50
$250 divided by 100,000 impressions, then multiplied by 1,000, equals $2.50 per 1,000 impressions. Reversing the calculation, $2.50 times 100,000 divided by 1,000 returns the $250 cost.
With total cost and impressions known, CPM equals total cost divided by impressions, then multiplied by 1,000. If CPM and impressions are known, total cost equals CPM multiplied by impressions and divided by 1,000. If budget and CPM are known, impressions equal budget divided by CPM and multiplied by 1,000.
For channel comparison, put costs and impression counts on the same CPM basis. A lower CPM means more impressions for the same spend, assuming the impressions are otherwise comparable. For planning, use a candidate CPM with a fixed budget to estimate delivery, or use a delivery target with CPM to estimate the needed budget.
Yes, for comparing the price of impression delivery, provided each channel's cost and impression count cover the same scope and period. No, CPM alone does not make audiences, placements, viewability, formats, or outcomes equivalent. A higher-CPM channel can still be more valuable if its impressions are better targeted or produce better results.
The formula can produce a non-integer estimate because budget divided by CPM does not always map to a whole impression. An ad platform cannot deliver part of an impression, so treat that value as planning arithmetic and round according to the applicable budget constraint. Actual delivery and billing can also differ from the estimate.
The example and behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.
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